Shelley Fralic: In defence of Chip Wilson and his fat-free yoga pants

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson may be guilty of having too much chutzpah, but he’s correct about those pants

Photograph by: ian lindsay
, Vancouver Sun

How is it possible I have found myself in the position of defending Chip Wilson?

How is it possible that the ballsy and brash founder and chairman of Vancouver-based Lululemon Athletica has engendered sympathy from someone who once wrote that she was boycotting his stores because his clerks were snotty and his trendy yoga wear — it’s just stretchy fabric, for Gawd’s sake, so get over yourself — was too precious, and pricey?

How is it possible that anyone can be so arrogant that, clearly embracing the adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, would send that columnist flowers?

How is it possible that Wilson, not known for pulling his punches or adhering to the stifling culture of politically correct discourse, can actually be right?

But, he was, a few months back when women began complaining that his firm’s yoga pants were, um, rather see-through in the posterior region when worn by fuller-figured customers. Sheer, in fact. So sheer that men were reportedly lining up in formation at the windows of local yoga classes.

Wilson, buckling under the pressure of delusional women who think they look good in everything, recalled them.

His crime may be an overabundance of chutzpah, but Wilson was right about those yoga pants. They look awful on tubbies who try to squeeze themselves into their tight confines and hit the streets like so many walking, talking lumpy sausage casings, providing way too much anatomical information on their way to the downward dog.

Oh, and the most egregious revelation of all: “It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs ...”

Social media vitriol, not surprisingly, was fast and furious. Wilson was slammed for body-shaming and customer-blaming and generally being a sexist buffoon, that being the one of the few printable diatribes routinely passing as civilized opinion on the topic.

Wilson, in something of a shocker, subsequently apologized, issuing a 53-second video in which he contritely stated that he is “sad, really sad, for the repercussions of his actions” and especially for putting his employees through such an ordeal.

But still it festers. Earlier this week, America’s master of mockery, Stephen Colbert, weighed in, calling Wilson both sexist and racist (the latter for once stating that Japan wouldn’t try to recreate a similar brand because they can’t phonetically reproduce the “l”s in Lululemon) and taking on the lion of luon for five full minutes on his television show.

Colbert’s lame offering included this tasteful bon mot:

“Thank you Chip Wilson. For lifting your leg to pee on your customers and then blaming them for being wet. You, sir, are my alpha dog of the week.”

And this: “If Chip’s ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t good enough, you probably couldn’t hear him properly over the loud rubbing of your fat thighs.”

C’mon, Colbert, is that the best you got?

I own too many Lululemon hoodies. I have worn my Lululemon raincoat for years. But I have a generous derrière and, frankly, when I put on a pair of Lululemon yoga pants, my caboose looks like two overfed cats fighting their way out of a spandex sack.

They just don’t look good on me. Neither, any more, do mini skirts. Or bikinis. And no one, except maybe David Beckham, looks good in a Speedo. This is reality. This is life. Like Chip Wilson, we need to get over ourselves.

Wilson — who is 57, said to be worth nearly $3 billion and a generous philanthropist — is known for his unorthodox views on life and business, and is clearly a man who likes to dip his toe in hot water. His $35-million Vancouver mansion, which he and wife Shannon built and which covers four lots on Point Grey Road, riled the neighbours recently with its seawall covered in a commissioned graffiti mural.

Which is why it’s no surprise that, contriteness notwithstanding, he is having a bit of fun with the whole fat-free yoga pants imbroglio.

Lululemon, you might have heard, has just introduced a new product called Second Chance Pant. Priced at $92, they are the recycled sheer yoga pants the company previously recalled, retooled with an extra fabric panel across the back to camouflage customer cellulite.

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